I'm new to the board but we've had a peanut allergy diagnosis for about 20 mths now.

My now 3yo DD was sent to a pediatric allergist after a contact allergic reaction to drinking milk at approx 1 yo. As a default the allergist always tests for peanuts and she had eczema as a baby which is sometimes a marker for future peanut allergies as I understand.
Her first scratch test to peanuts was insignificant. When we went back 3 months later and he tested again the wheal was large enough for him to give us an epipen.

We were never big peanut eaters in our house before so she'd never been given an actual peanut or peanut butter to eat.

Now we've avoided peanuts since then and she's never had a reaction with the exception of one time in the summer where she was exposed to peanut butter when my sister gave her dog a bone full of PB and it came sniffing at her. She had a small welt under her eye from skin contact with it and we left immediately.

Our annual visit to the allergist is coming up next week. I'm wondering if I should ask him for a blood test to determine just how allergic she is to peanuts. Since she's never had a reaction from ingesting them, I'd feel better if I knew more about how she might react to them without her obviously eating it.

Has anyone else has an ana diagnosis without prior evidence of reactions?

Welcome to the forum. Sorry if my first post came off as rude...I've reread it, and it might sound rude....I'm not sure.

As for your actual question, I was prescribed epinephrine before ever having an anaphylactic reaction. In fact, at the time, since they couldn't figure out what I was reacting to, they said it wasn't allergies and I would never have an anaphylactic reaction. I carried the epi around for a few years, then I stopped.....then I had an anaphylactic reaction. Good news is, that reaction led to figuring out what I am actually allergic to. So much easier to avoid when you know what your poison is.

So, my long winded advice is......carry the epi, always, everywhere. Avoid her allergens. Hope she outgrows the allergies, but don't hold your breath waiting for it to happen.

_________________self: allergy to sesame seeds and peanuts
3 sons each with at least one of the following allergies: peniciilin, sulfa-based antibiotic, latex, insect bites/stings

We are in a similar situation. My daughter has only ever had skin reactions and has never ingested peanut, but we take the allergy very seriously and consider ourselves lucky that we have not seen a full blown reaction.

She was diagnosed at 18 months after grabbing a piece of PB toast and getting some on her face which promptly broke out into hives and swelled up. Since then she has had random hives on her face when she has likely come into skin contact with peanuts while we are out and about.

We have never had blood work done on her to see how allergic she is to peanut because our allergists opinion is that a peanut allergy can be so serious that even if she was downgraded to a sensitivity we would still want to avoid peanuts & tree nuts and carry an epi-pen in case of emergency. It sometimes seems frustrating to take all of these extra precautions when we really don't know what the outcome would be but really, I would rather carry an epi-pen and avoid all peanuts, nuts, and traces of peanuts & nuts than have my little girl suffer the consequences of a reaction.

It sometimes seems frustrating to take all of these extra precautions when we really don't know what the outcome would be

People said that about car seats and seat belts when they first became the law. I always had my kids in a proper restraint system for the SIZE because they were small for their age. They grumbled and complained because their friends were no longer in booster seats and they were. But, the day we got rear-ended that booster seat (which was not legally required at ds's age) saved him from serious injury.

Epi's (like booster seats) are an expense and a pita that sometimes feels like you are just throwing money out the window....but that one time you need it makes it worth the years of carrying it around.

_________________self: allergy to sesame seeds and peanuts
3 sons each with at least one of the following allergies: peniciilin, sulfa-based antibiotic, latex, insect bites/stings

To the others, you might not think your child has ever had the allergen because you have never fed them the allergen but so many foods contain these allergens and if it wasn't on your radar to read every ingredient list, can you be certain she hasn't had it? Cross contamination is so easy. All it takes is for someone to use the same knife in the jam after spreading the peanut butter and the jam is contaminated. This could happen at a friends, at grandma's etc.

Our daughter was diagnosed with an egg allergy because the Allergist check for it when doing a skin prick test to diagnose her milk allergy. He said they tend to come together. She should a huge wheal and I said but she's never had egg. He pointed out that she has had noodles and they are often contaminated with egg because they are run on the same lines as egg noodles.

She then suffered a case of facial edema when we visited a bakery-it turns out they used dried egg powder and it was airborne.

So it is possible. The problem with peanuts is that such a small amount can cause sucha bad reaction that most allergists automatically prescribe epinephrine for any peanut allergy.

We definitely always err on the side of caution when it comes to DD's allergy. The epi pen is always with us and we are vigilant about what she eats.

Sometimes due to people's skepticism about allergies, I see raised eyebrows when I say DD has a peanut allergy but hadn't had a reaction. And I'd feel better knowing just how serious it is. I have to assume that due to a contact reaction in the summer that it's pretty darn serious.

We are really lucky in some respects not to know how bad her allergy is because she's never injested peanuts and then some days I'd like to imagine that the doctor was wrong as I'm sure most other parents of kids with allergies feels.

I can see where you are coming from. People always ask me how we found out about the kids' allergies, and I can tell they take it seriously once I mention that DD had instant hives, vomitting and had her lip start to swell up with her peanut reaction. This was the one where we found out she was allergic, but in hindsight, it wasn't her first exposure. The previous reactions had been mild, and as she was also allergic to dairy, I had attributed them to that.

You could tell people that she had a welt on her face just from contact, not even having ingested, and that the allergist told you this type of reaction to contact means it could be very serious if she ever ingests, which means strict avoidance and epipen with her at all times.

I've also read that people should assume all nut/peanut/shellfish reactions could become serious even if they have only had mild reactions in the past, so there is really no such thing as a 'mild peanut allergy'.

Glad to know you're taking it seriously. It really is hard in the beginning because so many people are skeptical and discredit what you tell them. Until you have a chance to find and absorb good information, it can be a very confusing time.

Sometimes due to people's skepticism about allergies, I see raised eyebrows when I say DD has a peanut allergy but hadn't had a reaction.

It's really not other people's business. I can understand wanting to discuss with yur parents or close friends. But when someone doesn't "get it" usually it's not worth trying to convince them of anything. They have a million arguments....based on what they want to believe.

If you feel it would be rude tO not answer, and you don't want to be rude, just say that she's so sensitive that she reacts from touching it.

_________________self: allergy to sesame seeds and peanuts
3 sons each with at least one of the following allergies: peniciilin, sulfa-based antibiotic, latex, insect bites/stings

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